Note: Techmeme is hiring part-time editors. Go here to apply, or tell a friend!
Techmeme
February 21, 2024, 4:45 PM

Top News

Emilia David / The Verge:
Google releases Gemma 2B and 7B, open-source AI models that let developers more freely use the research that went into Gemini, its flagship closed-source model  —  Google has released Gemma 2B and 7B, a pair of open-source AI models that let developers use the research that went into its flagship Gemini more freely.
Matt Burgess / Wired:
Apple unveils PQ3, a post-quantum cryptographic protocol for iMessage built on the Kyber algorithm, launching in iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, and macOS 14.4 in March  —  Useful quantum computers aren't a reality—yet.  But in one of the biggest deployments of post-quantum encryption so far, Apple is bringing the technology to iMessage.
Ryan Smith / AnandTech:
Intel's Direct Connect announcements: IFS rebranded to Intel Foundry, fab roadmap including 18A-P, 14A, Hybrid Bonding, five nodes in four years, and more  —  5 nodes in 4 years.  This is what Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger promised Intel's customers, investors, and the world at large back in 2021 …
Ian King / Bloomberg:
Microsoft plans to use Intel's 18A tech to make a chip that Microsoft designed in-house; Microsoft recently announced a computer processor and an AI accelerator  —  - Move marks a win for Intel's push into made-to-order chips  — Microsoft is looking to design more semiconductors in-house
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Corrie Driebusch / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Reddit plans to reserve some of its IPO shares for 75K loyal users, an unusual move that could build loyalty, and list its shares on the NYSE in March  —  Social-media company intends to offer shares in the offering to 75,000 of its biggest users  —  Reddit plans to place a big chunk …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Apple debuts Apple Sports, a free app offering scores and stats for the NBA, NHL, Premier League, and more, in the US, Canada, and the UK, on iOS 17.2 or later  —  Game on!  Apple launched a free standalone app for sports fans, Apple Sports, which is engineered to fire scores and stats to your iPhone as quickly as possible.
Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Nvidia reports Q4 revenue up 265% YoY to $22.1B, vs. $20.62B est., Data Center revenue up 409% to $18.4B, and FY 2024 revenue up 126% to $60.9B; NVDA jumps 6%+  —  - Nvidia reported earnings after the bell that beat Wall Street expectations for earnings and sales, and said that revenue during …
Counterpoint Research:
In a first, Apple had the seven best-selling smartphones globally in 2023, and Samsung had the next three; iPhone 14, 14 Pro Max, 14 Pro, and 13 were top four  —  - The combined market share of the top 10 smartphones in 2023 reached the highest ever at 20%, up from 19% in 2022.
Christian Vasquez / CyberScoop:
Biden signs an EO to increase the cyber defenses of maritime ports via additional Coast Guard powers, invest $20B+ in infrastructure over five years, and more  —  President Joe Biden issued an executive order Wednesday morning aimed at increasing the defenses of maritime ports through additional authorities …
Michael Acton / Financial Times:
Source: Meta and Microsoft lobby EU regulators to reject Apple's iOS and App Store changes to comply with the DMA, saying Apple's plans fail to go far enough  —  Meta and Microsoft want Brussels regulators to extract more concessions that unpick iOS mobile software
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple says the iPhone 15 lineup can retain up to 80% of its original battery capacity at 1,000 charge cycles, up from its original estimate of 500 charge cycles  —  In addition to changes to the Battery Health settings in iOS 17.4, Apple has more iPhone battery news to share today.
Bloomberg:
Cybersecurity experts say that global law enforcement agencies dealt Russia-linked LockBit a major blow, but history shows that ransomware gangs regroup quickly  —  - Disruption of LockBit praised as major blow against gang  — History has shown that hackers regroup quickly, experts say
Stephen Totilo / Game File:
An interview with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on Xbox growth, job cuts, and why getting rid of physical Xbox discs is “not a strategic thing for us”  —  Microsoft's gaming chief Phil Spencer is upbeat about his vast Xbox team's future.  But he also tells Game File …
Kate Irwin / PCMag:
Google says it's working to fix Gemini's “inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions”, after some users complained about them  —  Controversy is swirling around Google's generative AI tool Gemini as some users complain that its historical depictions are not accurate.
The Information:
Source: Magic, which recently raised $117M and says its AI coding assistant has a larger context window than rivals', may have made an AI reasoning breakthrough  —  Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and his investment partner, Daniel Gross, raised eyebrows last week by writing a $100 million check to Magic …
Andrew Hayward / Decrypt:
Yuga Labs co-founder Greg “Garga” Solano announces he's returning as CEO of the company, replacing Daniel Alegre, who spent less than a year in the role  —  Big changes are coming as Greg “Garga” Solano takes the helm at Yuga Labs, apparently pushing out Daniel Alegre in the process.
Yoshiaki Nohara / Bloomberg:
How Japan plans to spend ~$67B to revive domestic chipmaking prowess, hoping to leverage the US' supply chain concerns; Rapidus plans to make 2nm chips by 2027  —  US-China tech battle makes semiconductors a key economic security concern for policymakers  —  Deep in the snowy northern island …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Generate videos with Veo 3 in Google Gemini  —  Create high-quality, 8-second videos with Veo 3, our state-of-the-art AI video generator.  Try it with a Google AI Pro plan or get the highest access with the Ultra plan.
UiPath:
UiPath Unveils 10 Innovations that Will Shape the Agentic Future  —  Orchestration engine, API workflows and agentic testing among key features of new UiPath Platform™ for agentic automation, launched at UiPath DevCon 2025
Zoho:
6 Tips to Unlock Revenue with Transactional Emails  —  This is a guest post by Tabular.You might think of transactional emails as boring necessities, but the truth is, they're far more powerful than you realize.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Techmeme Ride Home:
Big Meta/Anduril Deal Is A Big Deal
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
The Social Radars:
Ron Conway, Founder, SV Angel Part 4 (Bonus)
Come be a fly on the wall as Y Combinator's Jessica Livingston and Carolynn Levy talk to some of the most successful founders in Silicon Valley about how they did it.
Subscribe to The Social Radars.
Hard Fork:
The A.I. Jobpocalypse + Building at Anthropic with Mike Krieger + Hard Fork Crimes Division
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
The Logan Bartlett Show:
Rick Smith (CEO, Axon): The Wild Ride From Near-Bankruptcy to $50B+
A podcast hosted by Logan Bartlett, an investor at Redpoint Ventures, covering tech with industry insiders.
Subscribe to The Logan Bartlett Show.
The Talk Show With John Gruber:
'Sewing Machine Repair Shop', With Patrick McGee
The director's commentary track for Daring Fireball. Long digressions on Apple, technology, design, movies, and more.
Subscribe to The Talk Show With John Gruber.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
How private equity kills companies and communities
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:45 PM ET, February 21, 2024.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Wall Street Journal:
Ryan Smith / AnandTech:
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

Earlier Picks

Tom Wilson / Reuters: